The officials say the three were killed on Friday when missiles struck a car near Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan. A fourth person was also killed but has not been identified.

The officials said on Sunday that one of the Egyptians was a 28-year-old man named Abdullah who played a key role in handling the financial affairs of the Haqqani network in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He was known locally as Nadeem.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.

The US has deemed the Haqqani network the most dangerous group fighting in Afghanistan.